Hehe. And 90% of people donāt have the vocal range or skill to even sing that song! WHAT was he thinking? Might be an acceptable performance solo piece, but a lousy hymn for general use.
I donāt so much have a problem with folk or contemporary style music, but I do think it is a shame that weāve abandoned our rich heritage like a dirty blanket. Thereās room for many styles of music among Godās people.
I think more than a few songs (hymns?) have been both written and preformed with the intent that they be done without the full participation of the congregation. (and often enough led by some technically skilled organist to tell the truth) Without being too judgemental, Iāve always believed its more fitting to play stuff eveyone can participate in. For myself, whenever I find Iām singing and playing solo its usually because I listed the wrong number on the reader board!
Kind of like the misguided theologeans, I think a lot of these songs were written in the hopes of rejuvinating the congregations and enlisting more participation, but somehow in the end, it went over the top. Its a fine line to walk, between
playing for the congregation, and doing the **whole thing **for the congregation.
I once prayed Iād never be asked to play at Mass again due to dreading playing in front of folks, and my fears Iād somehow āblow itā and ruin the whole Mass. Now I feel like Iām not feeding my soul if I skip a week! While I certainly pray it never turns into a pride issue or one of greed, still I do a little check and balance thing to try keep from doing the āmeā thing, I ask our Priest to help me choose the songs. Iāve found over and over again that the Mass is a much bigger thing than me and my petty mistakes I seem to make so often, so I dont think Iāve really "blownā one yet. Besides, we all know that American Priests have been going lite on assigning penances for all these years since they know the parishioners are already suffering in having to listen to our playing anyway dont we?
Its funny, all this talk of āprogressiveā or āliberalā or ātraditionalāā¦ I think we ought to all be āprogressiveā and "liberalā and ātraditionalā. The only thing is, we ought to be so with regards to the issues we are supposed to be taking care of, and not being so critical of the way the magesterium, and papacy, and bishops and priests handle the issues that fall in their part of responsibility. Those songwriters were right from what Iāve seen, to want to help draw people more and more into the arms of our church to join us in worship. They just got carried away down the wrong fork in the road if you ask me. We catholics need to do more to welcome and invite more folks to the sacraments. I daresay theres very few parishes in the US where I couldnt attend Mass for over a year and manage to still remain anonomyous and unknownā¦ try that in a protestent church, I dare you! Yet this is totally within the realm of the responsibilities of the Laity, one that apparently these dissenting theologans felt would be best cured by ordaining women to the Priesthood for example.
I find it a crying shame that more Catholics arent writing more and more holy and moving songs for worship and praise. Again, the Protestents seem to have the corner on that as well as the hospitality and fellowship things they do so well. Small surprise, when you consider that other than the āeagles wingseyā stuff, the majority of our hymms seem to come from Protestent origin. And, while I may be talking about Mass songs in some small way, Iām more talking about the fact that we Laity dont do much to make places and opportunities available for these things to happen. Why cant Catholics have sold out concerts with our young people listening to songs of their faith? Well, we must not want it bad enough I guess. But, we seem more than willing to whine and complain about our āpaid professionalsā and their shortcomings dont we?
Anyway, preserve our rich heritage? We MUST do so, but, we must also expand the heritage we leave for the next generations as well. I hope and pray Iām not one of those generations of whom when the Lord asks what Iāve done with my talents I have to tell him I was scared and hid them in the ground, or that I meant to do something about them, but was too busy arguing ātheologyā because I thought women should be ordained or because the vows of chastity were too tough for modern men to accept in order to become a Priest, or that it wasnt written for a pipe organ or unaccompanied chant so I thought itād be best if no one else ever heard it.
I know my place and my role in the scheme of things, and while its certainly in the pew with my voice and heart joined with yours and our Priests, Bishops, and Religeous, its also in the foyer, on the streets, in the adult education classes, and in the pancake breakfasts. And, occasionally, Heāll let me play for him and you. (but I promise not your āeagles wingsā)
